What: University of the Pacific visiting professor Dr. Susan Schneider discusses her new book, "The Science of Consequences: How They Affect Genes, Change the Brain, and Impact Our World"

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Live From Cesar Chavez!

What: University of the Pacific visiting professor Dr. Susan Schneider discusses her new book, "The Science of Consequences: How They Affect Genes, Change the Brain, and Impact Our World"

When: 6:30 p.m. Monday

Where: Cesar Chavez Central Library, 605 N. El Dorado St., Stockton

Admission: free

Information: (209) 937-8221, (866) 805-7323 or ssjcpl.org

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Dr. Susan Schneider is an engineer-turned-scientist, and the number of research papers she's written for psychological and scientific journals is dizzying.

Far from being a mad scientist spouting technical jargon, though, the visiting professor at University of the Pacific is a natural storyteller who has turned her years of study into a labor of love with the publication of "The Science of Consequences: How They Affect Genes, Change the Brain, and Impact Our World."

She'll discuss the book, written for the general public, at 6:30 p.m. Monday during Live from Cesar Chavez!, the collaborative series of the Library & Literacy Foundation for San Joaquin County and the library that presents informative and educational programs that encourage reading and lifelong library use among adults.

"I suppose a lot of it comes from my own background of reading all kinds of different literature, reading books in different areas myself and seeing the difference it makes when an author did a good job summarizing phenomena without complicated jargon," Schneider said. "Style makes a big difference for the readability of philosophy, science history or engineering."

If the title of Schneider's book is a mouthful, the ideas are not as complex as one might imagine. At least, not in her hands.

Expanding on "operant conditioning," B.F. Skinner's theory that reinforced behavior tends to be repeated and behavior not reinforced tends to be eliminated, Schneider shares stories and examples with a sprinkling of humor that reveal how in reacting to consequences, humans and animals alter their lives and environment in ways they may not realize.

"There are many benefits of being more positive toward others in our life," said Schneider, who wrote a letter to Skinner in 1976 when she was a high school senior and read his book in a psychology class, only to have him write back and launch a friendship that would last until his death in 1990. "The positive and negative ratio pops up in my book. There's so much good scientific research that shows being more positive is better. Being good with parenting, using timeouts instead of harsher penalties like spanking, came out of science. That is in my book."

Also in the book are lessons on how people and those they share the planet with can live healthier, more sustainable lives. "That's the main driving force," Schneider said, "how science helps us get there. There are consequences everywhere."

"You can have a gene never expressed in your lifetime," Schneider explained. "Behavior and environmental factors can turn genes on and off. When you exercise, to avoid nagging from your spouse or you are on a diet, one of the consequences is two hours after you exercise, it turns on the gene in your muscle and changes your metabolism. You can turn on a gene with your behavior due to consequences."

Being able to use the knowledge of these consequences for good is what prompted Schneider to devote 10 years to researching and writing the book. She began in 2001. It took a year to finish the first chapter. Turning technical information into a readable format took time and input from her mom, a non-scientist, and others close to her, who read and approved the prose.

The result is a readable book aimed at helping people understand the way they can work together with their environment in sometimes "unexpected ways."

The book can empower readers to improve their everyday relationships, to not take a spouse for granted, or to practice positive feedback with children rather than just yelling at them when they've done something wrong. It discusses the science of self-control, which is now being applied to the national obesity crisis.

Other examples of the positive consequences of science include advances in medical care. Stroke patients and those with autism have been aided by the study of consequences that reveal how flexible the brain is, how adaptable it is to consequences.

In one study, Schneider said, a group of volunteers were taught to read Braille, and some of them were blindfolded for five days.

"They had no visual input, and there was a big difference in their visual cortex," Schneider said. "They started handling the Braille more easily.

Robbed of sight, the brain used that part to improve touch and comprehension. Other studies of humans and animals show similar brain adaptations. "It's so empowering," Schneider said.

Since the book's publishing in November, she's become a full-time author, booked regularly at book signings and book events. Her move to Stockton to be part of Pacific's department and to live closer to family in the Bay Area means she's available for the Live from Cesar Chavez! stop.

"We feel fortunate to have an opportunity to bring her to the public library," said program coordinator Suzy Daveluy. "I think the information she is going to share from her research and academic background is something we can all learn from.

"Live from Cesar Chavez! is trying to bring interesting topics to the community and Dr. Schneider fits that bill."